Your thoughtfulness

“Tiny landscape” painted with watercolors by Sanford Ross Bender
“Your thoughtfulness” composed and performed witrh guitar by Sanford Ross Bender on December 16, 2023

Aloft and windward

“Aloft and windward” painted and drawn with mixed media by Sanford Ross Bender

“Aloft and windward” composed and performed with guitar and dobro by Sanford Ross Bender on November 18, 2023

Missing in rain

“Desert Rain” painted and drawn with water colors, ink, and colored pencils by Sanford Ross Bender.
“Missing in rain” composed, performed, and recorded with banjo, dobro, guitar, glockenspiel, thunder, and rain by Sanford Ross Bender on September 9, 2023.

Following Fireflies

“Following Fireflies” painted with acrylics by Sanford Ross Bender
“Following Fireflies” composed, performed. and recorded with banjo, dobro, and guitar by Sanford Ross Bender on September 4, 2023.

Simply from the Heart

“Simply from the Heart” composed, performed, and recorded with concertina and clarinet by Sanford Ross Bender on July 1, 2023
“Farmlands” painted and drawn with watercolors and ink by Sanford Ross Bender

The Mermaid

“Three times ’round went our gallant ship” drawn with colored pencils on paper by Sanford Ross Bender.
“The Mermaid” composed, performed, and recorded with vocals, guitar, and concertina by Sanford Ross Bender on May 26, 2023. Traditional ballad lyrics documented by J.J. Niles No. 62A after F.J. Child No. 289.

One Saturday night as we set sail,

Not very far from land,

We there did spy a pretty mermaid,

With a comb and a glass in her hand,

With a comb and a glass in her pretty, pretty hand,

With a comb and a glass in her hand.

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This pretty mermaid sprung into the sea,

The storm it began to roar.

The snow and rain came thick and fast:

“We’ll never see land any more,

We’ll never see land any more, more, more, more,

We’ll never see land any more.”

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The first one on deck was the captain of our ship,

With a plumb and a line in his hand,

He plumbed and he plumbed and he plumbed for to see,

How far it was to the sand,

How far it was from the sea to the sand,

How far it was to the sand.

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The next one on deck was the mate of our ship,

And a well-looking man was he,

“My wife and my child are in Merry England,

And tonight a widow she’ll be,

And tonight, a widow she’ll surely, surely be,

And tonight, a widow she’ll be.”

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The next one on deck was our little cabin boy,

And a very pretty boy was he,

“Oh what, oh what will my mother say,

When she knows I’m drowned in the sea,

When she knows I’m drowned in the salt, salt sea,

When she knows, I’m drowned in the sea?”

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Oh three times ’round went our gallant ship,

And three times more went she,

And as the storm did rage and roar,

She sank to the bottom of the sea,

She sank to the bottom of the deep blue sea,

She sank to the bottom of the sea.

“Deep Blue Sea” painted and drawn wuithy gouache, watercolors band colored pencils by Sanford Ross Bender

Fairytale kisses

“Fairytale kisses” painted with watercolors by Sanford Ross Bender once upon a time
“Fairytale” improvised with guitar and concertina by Sanford Ross Bender on January 6, 2023

“Fairytales are so described by those who may not have believed what they saw, smelled, tasted, touched, and heard.” SRB

Once I had a sweetheart (roughly interpreted)

Once I had a sweetheart (roughly interpreted) on guitar by Sanford Ross Bender on November 1, 2022

This traditional song of which I only play guitar was most memorably played and sung by Bert Jansch on his record album entitled “Rosemary Lane”. Bert Jansch (since gone from this world) was probably more influencial than many other musicians on my psyche (human mind, soul, and spirit). My improvised version is imperfect and perhaps flawed in its brevity, but nevertheless is expressive of the vulnerability that is revealed in matters of the heart. S.R.B.

“Poinsetta, Holly and Pine” drawn and painted with ink and watercolor by Sandy Ross Bender

Either way it goes

“Either way it goes” improvised on guitar by Sanford Ross Bender on October 7, 2022
“Either way it goes” Woven paper strips painted with watercolors by Sanford Ross Bender

Frost rainbow pinwheels

“Frost rainbow pinwheels” composed, performed, and recorded with guitar and dobro by Sanford Ross Bender on September 19, 2022
“Frost rainbow pnwheels” painted with acrylics on canvas board by Sanford Ross Bender